The product or service sounded great, made sense, you were pressed for time, and you make a snap decision to move forward. Quickly you realize that you just wasted money and time. That happened to me in a solicitation from a company on Linked In. I agreed to the purchase, sent my money and nothing.
In retrospect, I was the one who caused me to lose money. I broke my own rules of not performing due diligence on the company. In my haste, I treated the transaction like buying a cup of coffee.
Perhaps it was because I had connected with this particular company on Linked In that I hesitated, literally, right before I clicked the “buy” button to purchase the airline ticket for training. “Kevin”, my brain shouted, “Do you know anything about this company?” I only knew only what I was told by the sales manager.
How could I make such a hasty decision? I was caught up in my own 21 Day Challenge. My focus was not on making the right decision but on making progress toward meeting my goals. I lost sight of the real purpose of the program.
With the airline ticket browser window still open, I shot an email to the company asking for references and current agents I could talk to. The sales manager responded with some folks that I was able to talk to on the phone. After phone conversations and additional research I am back to feeling confident about the company and my decision.
The whole episode was a reminder to slow down and focus on the big picture. Just because all the food at the fair smells good, it doesn’t mean you have to eat it all. Always look before you leap.